PATTAYA, Thailand – A heavily intoxicated 18-wheel truck driver caused a major late-night crash on Bang Na–Trat Road after sideswiping a taxi, swerving across lanes, and slamming into a concrete construction barrier, spilling cargo across the roadway and forcing a complete traffic shutdown.
Dashcam footage from a pickup truck driven by a motorist identified as Phu, who was travelling with his wife and young daughter, captured the incident on the outbound frontage road of Thepharat Road (Bang Na–Trat) near kilometre marker 14 in Bang Phli district. The truck abruptly cut from the left lane into the right, nearly colliding with the pickup, before weaving dangerously and crashing into a construction zone at around 9.18 p.m. on January 18.
The impact sent dust billowing across the road, while plywood sheets being transported by the truck overturned and scattered across all lanes. Fuel leaking from the vehicle raised fears of fire, prompting an emergency response from police, rescue workers, and firefighters. Traffic was fully closed while crews cleared debris and secured the area.
Good Samaritans, including the dashcam owner, assisted the driver out of the wrecked vehicle amid concerns it could ignite.
The driver, identified as Mr. Rungaroon, 47, attempted to flee the scene but was later detained by Bang Phli police at a petrol station about one kilometre away. Officers said he appeared visibly intoxicated, spoke incoherently, and admitted to consuming a full bottle of 40-degree rice liquor before driving.
He told police he had just started work and was heading to deliver goods to Khlong 7 in Lam Luk Ka but claimed he could not remember the crash or an earlier collision with a taxi. The driver also admitted to a previous drunk-driving conviction last year, for which he served a three-month prison sentence.
Police said the crash reflects a wider national problem — one that is particularly relevant to Pattaya, a city surrounded by major highways and freight routes linking Bangkok, Chonburi, Rayong, and the Eastern Economic Corridor. These roads carry a constant flow of heavy trucks and trailers, increasing the risks when drunk or reckless driving occurs.
Despite regular checkpoints and enforcement campaigns in Pattaya, authorities say drunk driving remains one of the leading causes of serious accidents, especially at night and involving repeat offenders or large commercial vehicles.
Officials warned that incidents involving heavy trucks pose an extreme danger to motorists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, renewing calls for stricter enforcement and tougher penalties to deter repeat offenders.
